


Between Brothers

by kitkatt0430



Series: Work In Progress Bingo [2]
Category: Tales of Graces
Genre: Abandonment Issues, Asexual Asbel Lhant, Brothers, Calling out Hubert's misogyny, Character Study, Conversations between brothers, Gen, Hubert's character growth, Misogyny, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:54:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27094621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitkatt0430/pseuds/kitkatt0430
Summary: Hubert's got a lot of tangled up feelings concerning his brother.  Three conversation Hubert has with Asbel as he starts to work himself out.
Relationships: Asbel Lhant & Hubert Oswell
Series: Work In Progress Bingo [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1977097
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	Between Brothers

**Author's Note:**

> Initially this was going to be a 5+1 but I could never get anywhere with it, so it languished in my WIPs folder for years. Reworking the concept as three conversations made it finally all come together, and here we are. A Hubert character study piece.
> 
> Part of my Work in Progress bingo effort

_ Friend(ly) Advice _

“You know, you could go a little easier on Pascal,” Asbel opined once the door to their room at the Zavhert Inn shut.

They'd arrived late in the evening and managed to make it to the Inn without currying the notice of the military. Hubert did not expect that to last long. They were too obviously foreign. Well, Asbel, Cheria, Sophie, and himself were obviously foreign. Pascal, however, had nonchalantly spoken of making that giant crater near Velanik and there was something about Malik…

“I'm not sure what you mean,” Hubert countered, hoping that Asbel would take the hint and just let the subject drop.

Asbel, however, was terrible with hints. “Yeah, you do. She's been nothing but helpful since I met her. When I was with Richard, we'd never have taken Wallbridge without her knowledge of the ruins beneath the river. In Strahta, she knew how to the repair the Valkines – something the researchers there had no clue how to fix themselves.”

“Yes, but where did she learn any of that? And what was she doing working on the technology that now powers the new Fendelian weaponry?” Hubert crossed his arms and scowled. “That new technology is the only reason that Fendel poses a threat to Lhant now.”

It was the reason their father was dead.

“I'm tired of her hiding things from us.”

“The way Pascal talks about her upbringing, it sounds like wherever she's from, they've got access to a lot of information on Ancient Amarcian tech. So it makes sense that she'd know how to find lost ruins, control the technology inside, and even fix the Valkines. But she doesn't seem to realize that all her knowledge is actually really unusual. She isn't hiding things from us, Hubert. She just doesn't consider that the things she grew up thinking of as normal might be strange to us.” Asbel frowned at him. “Is it really so hard to give her the benefit of the doubt? That maybe she is every bit as warm and friendly and air-headed as she seems?”

Hubert huffed in annoyance. “No one is ever exactly what they seem to be. Not even you, brother.”

“I'm afraid to even ask what you mean by that,” Asbel drawled, quirking an eyebrow.

Opening his mouth to answer, Hubert snapped it shut without a word and rethought the rather mean-spirited thing he'd been about to say. “Nevermind,” he muttered instead. Asbel seemed blasé enough about their earlier fight and his temporary banishment, but who knew how far Hubert could push things before the cracks started to show and whatever truth Asbel was hiding finally came to light. Though… it must take a lot, considering Asbel's actions since returning to Lhant and fighting off Richard. “Why… why were you so eager to keep me on as Lhant's governor?”

Asbel blinked in surprise. “Um, because you're kind of the best thing that could happen to Lhant? If I'd been left in charge, Lhant would have been Fendel's by now.”

“But if a new governor were appointed, one who took harsh measures to fulfill the cryas quotas, you would have been able to easily regain the people's support.”

“That… didn't even occur to me,” Asbel's expression made him look like he'd eaten something distasteful. He shook his head. “No. I'd rather be banished from Lhant again, than be the kind of person who puts personal power before the well-being of our people. Having you there – having you in charge – was keeping Lhant safe. Nothing was more important than those kind of results. Certainly not my pride.”

“You really mean that, don't you?” Hubert waved off Asbel before he could make another earnest response. “Maybe you really are exactly how you seem,” he admitted with a sigh.

“Uh, thanks?” Asbel pulled his coat off, hooking it over the back of a chair and then kicking his boots off. “Look, even if you can't trust Pascal, could you at least try to trust in my judgment when it comes to her?”

“You trusted King Richard,” Hubert pointed out harshly. “Remember what that came to?” He regretted it the moment he saw his brother's flinch and sudden, distant flatness in Asbel's eyes. “I'm sorry. That was uncalled for.”

“I still think there's something else going on with him,” Asbel finally said. “The artes that he used while fighting us, the precision control he had over the monsters, and draining two Valkines of their eleth? That's… that's not normal. At Wallbridge, he was wounded really badly at one point and then… it seemed like he had a seizure. Yet, despite all of that – despite all that blood,” here Asbel shuddered at the memory, “he barely had a scratch on him when I checked his wound. I could almost swear I saw it healing in front of my eyes. Afterwards, he started acting completely different, getting unreasonable about things he'd have never even considered before the attack.”

“Do you think the attacker did something to him that caused the change?” Hubert asked, intrigued despite himself at Asbel's description of Richard's injury. If not for the mention of the seizure, he might have dismissed Asbel's claims… but if Richard had sustained a head injury during the seizure – or that had even caused the seizure – then that might explain a sudden personality shift. Maybe.

“I don't know. Richard killed him, so its not like we could go find him and ask.” Asbel sat on one of the beds, dropping his face into his hands. “How did things get so screwed up so fast?” he mumbled to himself.

Hesitantly, Hubert ditched his own coat and then walked over to sit beside Asbel. Patting his brother's shoulder's lightly, Hubert admitted, “I wish I could say it's all going to be okay. But I just don't have that kind of faith in people the way you do.”

“I dunno, Hubert. You remembered how to have faith in me, after all, or you'd have never sent me to deliver that letter for you.”

“That's not the same thing.”

“It's a start. Maybe you just need to take a leap of faith.”

“Maybe...” it had to be nice, to be so naïve, and yet… Hubert wished he could heed his brother's words and take a leap of faith. But in times like these and a place like Fendel, trusting blindly could was the fastest way to a quick death

* * *

_ Distractions _

“If she winds up distracted in battle because she's worried you're checking out her skirt and someone doesn't get healed because of it, I'm going to be pissed,” Asbel informed Hubert, after Cheria ran off.

“Excuse me!” Hubert all but squeaked.

“I heard what you were saying and it was… really sexist. Kinda shocked, actually. I expected better from you.” Asbel gave Hubert a disapproving look, which made the younger brother feel worse than shouting would have. Asbel had clearly inherited their mother's disappointed stare.

A faint sense of shame curled in his chest. “It was not,” he protested nonetheless. “I'd have thought you'd understand that battle is not the time to be worried about one's looks...”

“Then why are you so worried about how she looks?” Asbel interrupted with a raised eyebrow. “Seriously, Hubert, she's not dressed that way because she wants guys looking at her. She's dressed that way because it makes her feel good about herself; maybe the attention is a bonus or maybe she doesn't even notice it. Doesn't really matter which is true, though. If you’re distracted, it isn't her doing. It's yours. Blaming her for your problems is kind of a dick move. It's like saying that it's her responsibility to control other people's reactions to her – even reactions she has no idea are happening – instead of making those people take responsibility for themselves.”

“That's… that's true, I suppose...” Hubert flushed, embarrassed now to have broached the… problem of Cheria's short skirt at all. Asbel was right. He needed to control his own reactions instead of blaming Cheria for being… attractive.

Not that Hubert was attracted to her. She was devoted to Asbel – not that his oblivious brother could see that – so any attraction there would be a waste of time.

“Look, the next time you talk to her alone, apologize for the skirt thing. And when she yells at you, don't argue. Just… for once, don't argue.”

“I'm not arguing now, am I?” Hubert flushed slightly when Asbel just raised his eyebrow again. “Fine.” There was a long pause and then… “don't you find her skirt distracting at all, though?”

“Not particularly,” Asbel replied with a shrug. “It's just a skirt. Not really sure what the big deal is supposed to be.”

Cheria, Hubert supposed, had her work cut out for her with this one.

* * *

_ (out)Shine _

Despite his outwardly calm demeanor, Hubert was seething inside. Pascal's sister was arrogant, egotistical, and so full of bitterness. To treat Pascal, who clearly looked up to Fourier and had only ever sought to make her sister proud, in that manner. To deliberately hurt her that way…

Unforgivable.

Even if Fourier managed to pull her head out of her… well… Hubert doubted he'd ever like her.

But the worst part was… Fourier reminded Hubert of himself.

Remembering how elated Asbel had been to see him when he'd returned to Lhant stung even now, but for such very complex reasons. With their father dead, Hubert had taken out all his anger on Asbel… also seeking to punish his brother for being the son their parents had wanted and throwing that all away for some unattainable dream.

He'd told himself that Asbel hadn't suffered at all in his absence and that Asbel deserved to suffer now.

It had all felt so hollow, afterwards. Hubert had expected to feel satisfaction in Asbel's exile. But there had been emptiness instead. He'd realized that he'd probably never see Asbel again when the Knights showed up, looking for Asbel Lhant, known ally of the 'deceased' Prince Richard. Without a friend in the world, save for the little girl who looked like Sophie, and the one person Asbel might have counted on to help him dead…

Hubert had felt cold shame creep over him. Learning of Prince Richard's civil war had actually been a relief. Gossip spoke of a young Lord at Richard's side, who’d saved him from Barona and delivered him to safety in Grayleside. There had been no doubt in Hubert's mind that the Lord they spoke of was Asbel.

It had been safe, then, to resume his resentment of Asbel. And then his brother was standing before him again, begging him to resume talks with Windor over Lhant, for the sake of the people. Setting aside his pride again and again as he saved Hubert from Richard – reminding Hubert that, after all this time, his brother still made him feel safe in the midst of danger – and insisted on doing whatever it took to keep Hubert in charge of Lhant.

All of that, and Asbel forgave Hubert like it was nothing.

“Hey, you okay?” Asbel asked, touching his brother's shoulder gently.

“Yes. I was just… lost in thought.”

“About Pascal and Fourier?” Asbel guessed. “You had some pretty good advice for her earlier. I was relieved someone did; I had no idea what to say.”

“I… I was thinking of myself, actually. I… took my frustration and anger out on you when we were first reunited. I treated you abysmally; blamed you for being the son that mother and father didn’t throw away. But… you weren't the problem. My own feelings were.” Hubert looked down at the floor, unable to meet Asbel's eyes. This is where the words 'I'm sorry' should go, but he couldn't quite manage to say them.

“You know… it's not easy having a younger sibling who outshines you,” Asbel said quietly. “I was so jealous of you when we were kids. You were smarter and faster than me… braver too.”

“I was not. I always cowered behind you,” Hubert protested.

“Not denying the smarter and faster part?” Asbel teased with a grin. “Most of the time, I wasn't being brave. I was just being too stupid to know when I should be scared. But even though you got scared, you never ran away. You'd always stick it out with me, even if you were clinging to my arm sometimes. I always thought that was pretty brave, even though I teased you anyway. I always figured that, eventually, dad would realize that you were better suited to be the Lord of Lhant… and that kind of scared me. What place would I have in the family once everyone realized they didn't really need me?

“I mean… I figured if I were Lord I'd always need you there to advise me not to do stupid things and help me learn to be a good Lord. But you wouldn't need me for that if you became Lord of Lhant. Pretty much exactly what I thought would happen is what did happen, even. I couldn't do anything to protect our people while I was Lord. Then you showed up, took over, and didn't need me there at all. If… if Richard and Sophie hadn't needed me, I'd have probably just fallen apart entirely.” He said the last part softly, more to himself than to Hubert.

“Asbel...”

“I never understood why dad made the choices he did. Maybe I never will. I certainly couldn't forgive him for how he treated you. I couldn't respect him anymore after that and used it as my excuse to run away and chase my dream of being Richard's knight. When I found out he was dead, though…

“I guess, I always thought, on some level, that one day I'd go home and finally make peace with him. But I waited so long that I missed the chance. I… I don't ever want to have that happen again. So I guess maybe I forgive too easily now, but...”

“No… I understand,” Hubert looked away. “I do need you around,” he added quietly. “I can be too harsh, too judgmental. You remind me that… it's okay to relax and have faith in others. If I'd heeded your advice about trusting Pascal, she'd never have gotten hurt protecting me on the way to the Enclave.”

“Maybe. Maybe not.” Asbel patted his shoulder. “Don’t beat yourself up too much over it. Get some sleep, okay?”


End file.
